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Ceramic Vessel from Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala

Guatemala ceramic vessel before conservation.

Guatemala ceramic vessel during conservation treatment.

The ceramic vessel, pictured left—one of a pair excavated from Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala— is constructed from very thin orange ware and decorated with painted stucco. Although the stucco is fragmentary, enough of the pattern remained to determine a figural decoration and a section featuring a warrior in full costume with feather embellishments.

The form and decorative style are Teotihuacan in manner, and the object dates to the Classic Period, A.D. 150–170.

The vessel had been previously conserved but was damaged in storage. The fragile nature of the painted stucco layer required stabilization of the seventy fragments before any reconstruction could commence. After stabilizing the stucco, joins between the fragments were found, and the adhesive from previous repairs was removed from the edges. The vessel was reconstructed, and additional treatment involved gap-filling and inpainting of the fills.